Sugar has been the essence of Cuban economy; sugar mills, the heart of the country’s villages. Melaza, named for its large sugarcane fields, is one of those villages. However, there is no sugarcane in Melaza anymore, and the sugar mill is shut down. Newlywed Monica is the only person still working there. Her husband, Aldo, is a swimming teacher, but the pool has been empty for years. The couple lives in a small house along with Monica’s daughter and her grandmother, so they hide among the sugar mill’s rusted machinery to make love. All they have is their hope for a better future; they urgently need to find a way to survive, to make some extra-money to cover the family expenses. Could they save their world without losing their faith? Will they be able to keep their love alive as they lose their moral principles? Melaza is an independent film, without the support of the state-funded film institute (ICAIC) and has not yet been released in Cuba.

Screenplay by Carlos Díaz Lechuga

Cinematography by Ernesto Calzado, Luis Franco Brantley

Editing by Luis Ernesto Doñas

Original Score by Jesús Cruz

2013 Miami International Film Festival: Official Selection

2013 Rotterdam International Film Festival: Official Selection

2013 Malaga Spanish Film Festival: Won, Silver Biznaga for Best Latin American Film

“New talent Carlos Lechuga tells his critical story with humor and sparse dialogue, taking us on a journey to the beauties of rural Cuba. Far from the hotels and from Havana, but with a reality familiar to everyone who has ever been to Cuba - or faced a shortage of cash.” – Rotterdam international Film Festival catalog

”A new breed of filmmaker is emerging in Cuba, where travel restrictions to and from the U.S. have eased, allowing digital-savvy helmers — many of them alumni of the Gabriel Garcia Marquez-founded Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV (EICTV), which has spawned two generations of Latin-American and Cuban filmmakers — to aim at a wider audience...” - Variety Full review